With one seat, UKIP was laughed out of the South, of which it did at least have some small understanding.
So now it is trying its luck in the North, of which it is so completely ignorant that it thinks that the inhabitants would elect Paul Nuttall, something that they have already repeatedly declined to do.
The biggest electoral battle in this country is now between the Tories and the Lib Dems for dozens of Remain seats in the Remain heartlands of the South of England.
The Tories, under strongly Remain Leaders both at Westminster and at Holyrood, are also eyeing several seats in the Remain heartlands of Scotland.
Meanwhile, the only challenge to Labour in the North of England is at May's elections to Durham County Council.
That was the first authority that Labour ever won, and it has never been lost in more than 100 years. It is now the unitary authority for half a million people.
Far from being UKIP, that challenge, although it will benefit Lib Dems and rightish Independents in certain wards as a tactical device, has been organised from within the trade union Left.
It has been organised in close co-operation with key figures in Jeremy Corbyn's entourage, with the endorsement of George Galloway in the pages of the Northern Echo, and with the assistance of the Durham Miners' Association, which can still play the role here that technically deposed local monarchs can play in certain parts of Africa.
As you have retweeted, Galloway has tonight repeated his support for the Durham campaign on his radio programme and on Twitter.
ReplyDeleteHe also correctly identified this week's events here as the biggest victory for trade unionism in Britain in many a long year.
DeleteHe'll be here to campaign in April. We are going to make it happen. Look out for other big names, too.